GORHAM, Maine – Junior Sami Smith (Merrimack, N.H.) scored three goals in the opening 13 minutes to lead the Keene State College Owls to a 4-1 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference field hockey game Wednesday evening at Hannaford Field.With its fifth consecutive win, Keene State remains undefeated in the Little East Conference at 6-0 and improves its overall record to 8-2. Southern Maine falls to 5-8 overall and 2-4 in the LEC.

Smith was on the receiving end of three consecutive assists from classmate Kayla Reanud (Somers, Conn.) as the Owls set the tone. Jumping on top of the Huskies early, Smith notched the first of her three goals of the game with just 1:56 expired in the half. Smith scored her second goal of the game in the 11th minute following a penalty corner. Camped out in front of the goal, Smith was able to deflect a pass from Reanud for a 2-0 KSC advantage. Three minutes later, the Owls led USM 3-0 as Smith and Renaud again connected for a goal – Smith's third of the game and team-leading 12th of the season. Despite the three-goal flurry in the opening 15 minutes of action, the score remained 3-0 through the half. KSC led USM 7-2 in shots in the first half and had a 5-3 advantage in penalty corners.

Southern Maine opened the scoring in the second half, trimming its deficit to 3-1 in the 40th minute. Husky senior Allison Ward (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season, knocking in a solid shot with a reverse stick play. The Huskies' pressed for a second goal, but were unable to break through. KSC's Renaud, who assisted in all three of the Owls' first half goals, sealed the win for her team in the 66th minute with an unassisted score on a hustle play for the 4-1 final.

KSC senior Meaghan Dwyer (Rutland, Mass.) earned the win making one save on two shots on goal in 66:32 of action. Sophomore Casi Smith (Merrimack, N.H.) helped Dwyer's cause making a defensive save in the first half. Sophomore Kendra Lonergan (Sanbornton, N.H./Winnisquam Regional) played the final 3:28 of the game and did not face a shot. Southern Maine junior Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) made six saves in the loss.

Southern Maine travels to Western Connecticut State on Sunday (11:00 a.m.) in a Little East Conference match up for its next contest. Keene State travels to Bridgewater State on Saturday (4:00 p.m.).

DANBURY, Conn. – Senior Jenny Cappello (Litchfield, Conn.) scored the game-winning goal in the 58th minute to snap tied game and lead the Western Connecticut State University Colonials to a 2-1 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference field hockey game Sunday afternoon at the Western Athletic Center.

With the win, the Colonials end a seven-game losing streak to improve to 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Little East. Southern Maine is now 5-9 overall and 2-5 in conference action following the loss.

The Huskies took an early lead in the game as senior Allison Ward (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) scored her sixth goal of the season in the ninth minute. Ward flicked the ball past Western junior goalkeeper Kristy Trotta (Danbury, Conn.) on a feed from classmate Jessica Boghosian (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonskee). The lead was short-lived for the Huskies, however, as Western Connecticut drew even in the 15th minute on a goal from senior Caitlin Ogrizovich (New Fairfield, Conn.).

The score remained locked at 1-1 until late in the second half with Cappello's game-winner. Cappello took a pass off of a penalty corner from senior Kristy Mastasavage (Middlebury, Conn.) to the top of the circle before driving home her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Western's Trotta earned the win making three saves. Southern Maine junior Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) made three saves in the loss.

The Colonials host Manhattanville College on Wednesday (7:00 p.m.) in a non-conference game. Southern Maine travels to Bowdoin College on Tuesday (6:00 p.m.).

BRUNSWICK, Maine –Four different players scored as the number-two ranked Bowdoin College Polar Bears extended its win streak to 10 games with a 5-0 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference field hockey game Tuesday night at Ryan Field.With the win, the Polar Bears remain undefeated to improve to 10-0. Southern Maine drops its third straight to stand at 5-10.

Bowdoin, which outshot USM 30-2, led 2-0 at the break. Kelsey Mullaney converted a penalty corner in the 20th minute to lead the Polar Bears. Moments later Bowdoin grabbed a 2-0 lead as Kimmy Ganong scored the first of her two goals in the 21st minute.

Bowdoin made it 3-0 early in the second half as Rachel Kennedy converted an assist from Liz Znamierowski in the 38th minute before Ganong and Alex Baumgartner followed with scores in the 46th and 65th minute respectively.

Clara Belitz (58:39) and Grace Linnan (11:21) did not make a save while sharing time in goal for the win. USM junior Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) made 17 saves in the loss.

GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore Courtney Smith (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veterans Memorial) and senior Kelsey Russell (Arlington, Mass.) each had a goal and an assist to lead the Salem State University Vikings to a 2-1 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference field hockey game Tuesday afternoon at Hannaford Field.

With the win, Salem State snaps an eight-game losing streak to improve to 3-11 overall and earn its first Little East Conference win of the season to stand at 1-8. Southern Maine drops to 6-11 and 3-6 in the conference.

Salem State struck first scoring late in the first half as Smith scored her fourth goal of the season, powering in a shot in the 29th minute off of a feed from Russell. Southern Maine rallied to score the equalizer just before halftime as junior Kyrstyn Keating (Freedom, Maine/Mt. View) notched her third goal of the season on a hustle play to convert an assist from classmate Samantha Crosman (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) in the 33rd minute.

Locked at 1-1, Salem State came out the victor despite being outshot 6-3 in the second half. This time Russell was the goal-scorer for the Vikings redirecting a centering pass from Smith in the 57th minute. The Huskies had a few solid scoring opportunities in the final 13 minutes of action but were unable to find the back of the net. Freshman Dorina Sirois (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and sophomore Tayla Smedberg (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills) each had terrific attempts in the circle, but Viking goalkeeper junior Carolyn Woodin (Arlington, Mass.) was up to the task to preserve the win.

Woodin finished the game making 11 saves in the victory. USM junior goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) made five saves in the loss. Junior Leanne Reichert (Portland, Maine) had a defensive save for USM.

Southern Maine returns to action on Thursday (3:00 p.m.) when it hosts Bates College in a non-conference contest. Salem State hosts Fitchburg State in an LEC game on Saturday (12:00 p.m.)

GORHAM, Maine – Junior Jennifer Poulin (Winslow, Maine) came through in the clutch converting her penalty shootout attempt as the University of Southern Maine Huskies came out on top during a the sudden-victory round of penalty strokes to defeat the Bates College Bobcats 4-3 in a non-conference field hockey game Thursday afternoon at Hannaford Field.

Securing its first win over Bates since a 2-1 victory over the Bobcats during the 2003 season, Southern Maine improves to 7-11 overall. Bates falls to 6-7 on the season dropping its third straight game.

With the score even at 1-1 after the initial round of strokes, both teams went into the sudden victory round. Both the Huskies and Bobcats misfired on their first attempts in the second round before Poulin was able to beat Bates senior Katie Knox (Bronxville, N.Y.) to her right side for the goal. Facing elimination, Bates' freshman Adah Lindquist (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) took her attempt, but Husky junior goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) closed down the space forcing Lindquist wide left securing the victory. Both Poulin and Lindquist were the lone goal-scorers in the first round of the shootout.

Watch Jennifer Poulin's Game-Winning Penalty Shot

Southern Maine jumped out to a quick lead in regulation scoring just 2:30 in to the game as freshman Dorina Sirois (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) notched her first intercollegiate goal following a penalty corner. Sirois inserted the ball and received the pass back from senior Jessica Boghosian (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonskee) for a 1-0 lead. The Huskies' doubled their advantage late in the half, again scoring during a penalty corner, as Poulin knocked in a goal off of an assist from junior Kyrstyn Keating (Freedom, Maine/Mount View).

Trailing 2-0, Bates roared back to tied the game early in the second half. Senior Shannon Beaton (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket) collected a rebounded shot in the 39th minute for her eight goal of the season to make it 2-1 in favor of USM. Bates scored again just 40 second later as Lindquist hustled her way to collected a loose ball to tie the game.

The game remained locked at 2-2 over the next 25 minutes despite Bates holding a large advantage in shots (30-9). The Bobcats were able to grab the lead, however, in the 66th minute as freshman Mackenzie Winslow (Winslow, Maine) scored her first goal of her career to make it 3-2. With less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Bates seemed on its way to a come-from-behind victory before Southern Maine scored on a last-second play.

Awarded a penalty corner with 25 seconds on the clock, USM let time run down before attempting its corner. Sirois again inserted the ball to Boghosian who hit a driven ball toward the cage where sophomore Tayla Smedberg (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills) awaited for the deflection. Smedberg was able to get just enough on the ball for the game-tying goal to force overtime.

Jessica Boghosian to Tayla Smedberg as Time Expires!

Neither team was able to score during the 30 minutes of overtime. Bates had a 10-0 advantage on shots in overtime despite playing a man-down due to a yellow card in the second overtime period. Kasbohm made seven saves for the Huskies during the extra time to help force the shoot out.

Kasbohm finished with 19 saves in the win establishing a new career-high. Knox took the loss making four saves in 94:33 of action. Knox entered the game in the sixth minute replacing Bates starter senior Cristina Vega (Needham, Mass./Dana Hall). Vega allowed one goal and did not record a save.

Southern Maine returns to Little East Conference action on Saturday (2:30 p.m.) when it hosts Worcester State. Bates College hosts Middlebury College in a NESCAC contest on Saturday (12:00 p.m.).

GORHAM, Maine – Senior Jessica Boghosian (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonskee) scored on a penalty shot with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation to lift the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a key 2-1 win over the Worcester State University Lancers in a Little East Conference field hockey game Saturday afternoon at Hannaford Field. Earning its second straight win of the season, Southern Maine improving its overall record to 8-11 and 4-6 in the Little East. The win keeps Southern Maine in the hunt for the eighth and final LEC playoff spot as the Huskies are in a three-way tie at 4-6 with Western Connecticut and Bridgewater State. Worcester State suffers its second consecutive loss to drop to 9-7 overall and 5-5 in the Little East.

Despite being outshot and out-cornered in the opening stanza, USM took a 1-0 lead over the Lancers late in the first half. Southern Maine junior Jennifer Poulin (Winslow, Maine) scored her third goal of the season in the 29th minute redirecting a pass from sophomore Tayla Smedberg (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills).

Applying steady pressure to the Huskies' defense, the Lancers rallied to tie the score just 10 minutes into the second half. Sophomore Jolane Thibault (Douglas, Mass.) drove in her second goal of the season on a pretty give-and-go play in the circle with senior forward Taylor Ledwith (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral).

Tied at 1-1, Worcester State continued to force the action in the Huskies' defensive third and had several strong attempts on goal, including a pair of point blank near post attempts from senior Erika Lepkowski (Baldwinville, Mass./Narragansett) during two of the Lancers six second half penalty corners. The Lancers, however, were unable to break USM junior Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) for the go-ahead goal as the Huskies' goalkeeper made seven second half saves.

The Huskies' were awarded the decisive penalty shot in the 62nd minute after an infraction on a WSU defender was called in the circle. With the game tied, Boghosian stepped to the line and laced a strong shot to the left side of the cage for the win. Thibault had a pair of chances stopped by Kasbohm in the closing minutes, but each was turned away as the Huskies held for the win.

Kasbohm finished with 13 saves to earn the win for the Huskies, while sophomore Kathryn Salemme (Boxboro, Mass./Acton-Boxboro) made five saves in the loss. WSU outshot USM 16-9 and had a 13-5 advantage in penalty corners.

Southern Maine returns to action on Saturday (1:30 p.m.) at Fitchburg State in its final regular season contest of the year in an LEC match up. Worcester State hosts Westfield State on Saturday (2:00 p.m.) in an LEC game.

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Freshman Molly Richard (Leominster, Mass.) and senior Julia Gimenez (Medway, Mass.) each scored a goal to lead the Fitchburg State University Falcons to a 2-1 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference field hockey game Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, Southern Maine concludes its season with an 8-12 overall record and a 4-7 mark in the Little East Conference. Fitchburg State improves to 10-8 overall and 4-7 in the Little East and will earn one of the final playoff spots into the LEC's post-season tournament with a head-to-head tie-breaker.

Richard scored late in the first half notching her 10th goal of the season in the 26th minute off of an assist from Margaret Gallagher. Leading 1-0 through halftime, Fitchburg State doubled its advantage less than three minutes into the second half as Gimenez connected for an unassisted goal – also her 10th of the season – for the eventual game-winner. Southern Maine broke up the shut out in the 53rd minute as sophomore Kaylie Andrews (Kittery, Maine/Traip Academy) converted an assist from senior captain Allison Ward (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside).

FSU goalkeeper senior Judith Valentin (Brockton, Mass.) made six saves to earn the win for the Falcons, who were outshot by USM 13-9. Junior goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) made three saves in the loss.

GORHAM, Maine – Three members of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' field hockey team earned post-season honors from the Little East Conference following a vote of LEC coaches. Junior goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) was named first team All-Little East Conference, while seniors Alison Ward (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) and Jessica Boghosian (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonskee) were selected to the All-LEC second team.

Earning post-season honors for the first time in her career, Boghosian had a tremendous season anchoring the Huskies' defense. Playing in all but one of the Huskies' games this season, Boghosian played and started as USM's sweeper in 19 games. With the ability to carry the ball up the field and advance the Huskies' offensive, Boghosian tallied three goals and passed off four assists for 10 points. Remarkably, all three of Boghosian's goals this season went for game-winners including a dramatic 2-1 overtime win against University of New England (September 17). Boghosian's two other game-winning goals came against Little East Conference opponents UMass Dartmouth and Worcester State.

One of the Huskies' tri-captains, Ward is collecting post-season honors from the Little East for the second time in her career. A first-team defensive selection in 2014, Ward is earning second team honors as a midfielder after scoring six goals and dishing out a pair of assists. A three-time (2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15) William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete and 2013 and 2014 National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic Team honoree, Ward led the Huskies in scoring in her final season. Named the LEC Offensive Player of the Week on September 7, Ward tallied USM's game winning goal in a 4-0 win against SUNY-Brockport. Ward concludes an outstanding four-year career with the Huskies with 19 goals and six assists for 44 points.

Named to the first team after earning third team All-LEC honors as a sophomore, Kasbohm has established herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the region. Playing and starting in all 20 of the Huskies' games, Kasbohm recorded all 1510 minutes and 40 seconds of playing time in-between the pipes for Southern Maine, posting a solid 1.71 goals against average and an 81.3 save percentage with three shut outs.

Making a career-high 161 saves during the 2015 season, Kasbohm had several outstanding individual performances backstopping Southern Maine to wins throughout the season. Kasbohm set a single-game career-high with 19 saves in a 4-3 overtime win against Bates (October 22), leading the Huskies to their first win over the Bobcats since 2003. Against Little East Conference opponents, Kasbohm improved her efficiency, allowing just 1.64 goals per game, while recording two of her three shutouts during the season.

Through three seasons, Kasbohm has a 2.10 goals against average, with 402 saves and five shutouts to her credit. She is presently fifth in career saves in program history and eighth in career goals against average.